Treasure Auction Brings $3.1 Million

A variety of rarities and strong turnout by bidders helped propel Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC’s Treasure Auction 24 results to more than $3.1 million, a record-breaking sale for the firm. The sale, held live on Nov. 2-3 in Orlando, Florida, and online on Nov. 5, featured more than 2,300 lots. All prices cited include a 19 percent buyer’s premium.

Among the top lots in the sale was a set of specially struck 1915-dated Cuban gold pesos (lots 146-151). Five of the six coins, the 1, 2, 4, 10, and 20 pesos, are specimen strikes and certified as such by NGC. They are the only known specimen strikes for the series. The sixth coin, a 5 pesos, was graded NGC MS-66+ for its exceptional surfaces and is the finest graded for the type. All together, the set raised $473,025 on a combined $49,000 low estimate. The six lots were sold individually yet purchased by the same bidder. The top coin for the set was the specimen 20 pesos, which took in $130,900 on a $20,000 and up estimate.

“This was our largest sale yet,” said Daniel Sedwick, president and company founder. “This result was helped by having a variety of rare coins that appealed to a wide audience of collectors.”

An example of one of the first coins to be struck in the Americas, a Mexico City-struck Charles-Joanna “Early Series” 3 reales graded NGC VF-30, went up for bid as lot 664. Once bidding had concluded, the coin sold for $83,300 on a $35,000 to $70,000 estimate.

Strong bids were placed for two large silver bars, lots 256 and 257, recovered from the shipwreck of the Atocha, sunk in 1622 off Key West, Florida. Both bars came with Mel Fisher photo-certificates, were graded Class Factor 1.0, were of similar weight (83 troy pounds, 2.3 troy ounces and 81 troy pounds, 6.56 troy ounces, respectively), and estimated at $30,000 to $45,000 each. The bars ended up selling for $59,500 and $56,525, respectively.

Latin American world gold coins fared especially well in the sale. Lot 206, a Cuzco, Peru, 8 escudos, 1837BA, FEDERACION type, graded by NGC as MS-64+ Prooflike realized $53,550 on a $35,000 to $50,000 estimate.

Other top lots in the auction include:

• Lot 5 – Mexico City, Mexico, cob 8 escudos, 1715J, special planchet and strike, NGC MS-64, ex-1715 Fleet, sold for $50,575.
• Lot 90 – Seville, Spain, cob 2 escudos, 1619G, ex-Atocha (1622), sold for $38,080.
• Lot 25 – Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1710H, NGC MS-63, ex-1715 Fleet, sold for $33,320.
• Lot 247 – Gold “finger” bar, 466 grams, marked with fineness XVII (17K), twice cut, encrusted with coral, ex-“Golden Fleece wreck” (ca. 1550), sold for $30,940.
• Lot 32 – Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1714/3M, very rare, PCGS MS-62, ex-Pullin, ex-1715 Fleet, sold for $28,560.
• Lot 1 – Mexico City, Mexico, cob 8 escudos, 1713J, NGC MS-64, ex-1715 Fleet, sold for $16,065.
• Lot 901 – Argentina (River Plate Provinces), 8 reales, 1815F, Potosi mint, PCGS MS-64+, sold for $15,470.
• Lot 249 – Small gold ingot, 6.35 oz., dated 1959, New York Assay Office, ex-Bently Collection, sold for $13,090.
• Lot 568 – Mexico City, Mexico, cob 8 reales, (1)715(J), from the pirate ship Whydah (1717), sold for $13,090.
• Lot 1477 – USA (Philadelphia mint), high relief $20 St. Gaudens “double eagle,” 1907, wire rim, sold for $9,520.
• Lot 1557 – Colombia, Banco de Panama, 5 pesos, ND (ca. 1869), serial RP 1715, PMG Choice VF-35, sold for $2,975.

Full prices realized can be viewed at auction.sedwickcoins.com. The firm’s next auction will be held May 2-3, 2019,. with a consignment deadline of March 3, 2019.